This is going to ruin the tour
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Monday!
Let today’s newsletter carry you into the new week just like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce carrying Taylor Swift during his surprise Eras Tour onstage appearance over the weekend. Heel clicks all around.
— Team USA sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, after running the fastest women’s 100m race of the year on Saturday and qualifying for the Paris Olympics at the USA Track & Field Trials. Unstoppable.
Stanley Cup Final
🏒 Opportunity knocking
The GIST: Thanks to the Edmonton Oilers’ incredible 5–1 Game 6 Saturday win over the Florida Panthers, the Stanley Cup Final is heading to the best two words in sports — Game 7 — for the first time since 2019.
- History will be made in tonight’s 8 p.m. ET showdown: Either the Oilers will complete one of the biggest comebacks ever or the Panthers will hoist their very first Stanley Cup. Here are two things to keep in mind before puck drop.
It’s been 82 years since a team overcame a 3-0 hole in the Final: The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were the last squad to win it all after losing the first three games of the final series, adding to the hype ahead of tonight’s showdown.
- However, when you zoom out, this series has technically been even. Florida dominated Games 1 through 3, outscoring Edmonton by seven goals, but come Games 4 to 6, Edmonton hit the Uno Reverse and dominated themselves, winning those three games by a 13-goal margin. All to say, Game 7 could fall either way. Unless…
Mojo makes the difference: It’s been 31 years since a Canadian team won the Cup, and with the league’s best player (center Connor McDavid) and three straight wins in their pocket, the momentum is squarely in Edmonton’s favor, even with Florida hosting Game 7 tonight.
- Not to mention, the Panthers’ top-notch goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been struggling after a piping hot series start. That said, of the 17 Game 7s in Stanley Cup Final history, 12 were won by the home team. Will the Panthers make it lucky 13?
WNBA Commissioner's Cup
🏀 Hoop, there it is
The GIST: The WNBA’s fourth annual Commissioner's Cup — an in-season battle for hardware and cold hard cash — tips off tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, featuring two red-hot squads: the Minnesota Lynx out of the Western Conference and the host NY Liberty (the defending Cup champs) representing the Eastern Conference. Taking “can’t miss” to a whole new level.
How it works: This year featured a revamped format in which each team played five Commissioner's Cup games (down from 10 in years prior) — one against each in-conference rival. The squads — one from each conference — with the top record in those designated Commissioner's Cup games advanced to tomorrow’s championship tilt.
- The Libs blew away the competition, going undefeated in their matchups, while the Lynx dropped just one game en route to clinching the chance to play for the $500K prize pool.
- Speaking of, the players on the winning team earn about $30K each, the champ game MVP wins a $5K bonus, and the losing team still walks away with $10K each for their efforts. Cha-ching.
The matchup: Both sides are riding high into tomorrow’s tip-off — the Libs are on a three-game win streak while the Lynx have quietly rattled off an astounding six straight Ws. Minnesota did rout NY 84–67 when they met in late May, but that was on an uncharacteristically off night for NY’s Jonquel Jones, who was held to a mere four points in the L.
- JJ features on a fearsome Big (Apple) Three, joined by reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, all three of whom rank in the top 15 of the league in scoring.
- As for the Lynx, they’re led by one of the most underrated players in the league, Napheesa Collier, who averages at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. But she’s quick to credit the depth of her balanced squad, including sharpshooter Kayla McBride. Teamwork making that dream work.
Together With DoorDash
🏆 Hungry for greatness (and lunch)
The fourth annual Commissioner’s Cup is a signal of the WNBA’s massive growth, but longtime partner DoorDash knows that the league has even more potential — especially in Canada.
- That’s why, after already launching and funding one of the country’s first leagues in Winnipeg, they’re assisting the next generation of female hoopers as the presenting sponsor of the Great White North’s Jr. WNBA league.
Delivering on promises just like they deliver your lunch order? A longtime partner of the league, DoorDash truly does it all.
⚾ Top Toronto Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez — who was just called up to the majors last week — was suspended for 80 games yesterday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The nightmare season continues.
🏎️ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris’ surging McLaren to win his third straight Spanish Grand Prix yesterday. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished third, his Formula 1–record 198th podium finish.
🏊 Penny Oleksiak won’t compete in an individual event at the Paris Olympics after missing out on qualifying for the 100m freestyle by less than two-tenths of a second. Canada’s most decorated Olympian will still race on Canada’s relay team.
🇨🇦 No. 48 CanMNT hit the pitch vs. No. 31 Peru tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET for their second Copa América group stage game. Last week’s strong showing against defending champ No. 1 Argentina should have the Canadians feeling dangerous, especially vs. a La Bicolor side searching for its identity.
⚽ Hosts No. 16 Germany raged back to draw 1–1 with No. 19 Switzerland in yesterday’s Euro action, ending group play on top of Group A and qualifying for this weekend’s Round of 16.
⛳ World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler became the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win six times in a season yesterday, dodging protestors before beating birthday twin and good pal No. 26 Tom Kim in a playoff to win the Travelers Championship. Unreal.
🏆 World No. 25 South Korea’s Amy Yang won her first career major title yesterday, carding five birdies to finish atop the leaderboard at the Women’s PGA Championship.
🏐 The Maple Volleys served up a whole lot of aces this weekend, beating the Netherlands in five sets to secure a spot in the Volleyball Nations League quarter-finals later this week.
Together With Turo
Picture this: you and your BFF sitting courtside at a cross-border basketball showdown in Sin City. In partnership with Canada Basketball, Turo is giving away two all-expenses-paid trips for you and a friend to Las Vegas (!!!) to watch Canada’s senior men’s national team take on Team USA on July 10th.
- In addition to round-trip airfare, accommodation and tickets to the game, the winners will receive $1,250 in travel credit from Turo, Canada’s leading car sharing marketplace, to rent an unforgettable ride of their choice.
- But act fast and enter the contest before the buzzer sounds on June 26th.
Hi. It’s us. We’re the recommenders, it’s us.
🥇 How to go to the Olympics
Enter the ultimate “We All Play for Canada” contest. Hosted by Canadian Tire and The GIST, we want to send you and a pal on an all-expenses-paid trip to watch Team Canada compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
- Share an inspiring story about how women’s sports have impacted your life for a chance to win a VIP experience and be part of the first Games to celebrate equal gender representation. Go, Team Canada, go.
🏀 What not to scroll past
🗣️ Who’s speaking up
Kylian Mbappé. The French soccer captain made a powerful Euro 2024 press conference statement, saying he stands against extremism and divisive ideas as his home country prepares for a major election next month.
Take Your Pick
This is officially it, folks. The hardest trophy to win in sports will finally be awarded to either Florida or Edmonton tonight. Who’s your pick to take home Lord Stanley?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Marga Sison and Lisa Minutillo. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.